Decim

One word: Paradox

The last time I read about a journey to hell was Dante's Inferno. R. F. Kuang's Katabasis takes that familiar descent and twists it into something that blends romance, tragedy, self-discovery, and literally, hell.

I loved the references to Dante, the philosophical nods, and the way Kuang plays with ideas of punishment, desire, and identity. Her prose is still poetic as ever.

In all honesty, some parts felt slow. The middle chapters dragged at times, almost like reading a dense dissertation instead of a narrative. It didn't ruin the story, but it did break the momentum.

Professor Grimes popping back into the story near the end felt a bit abrupt, it's maybe intentional, maybe not, but it still left me wanting a little more. The ending, though? Satisfying. Alice finally broke out her shell.

Overall, I loved it. I just wish the pacing was tighter and the middle less heavy. This book is still a compelling and decent read.

Hate it or love it, this book made me shed a tear.

At first, I found Gon obnoxious and unlikeable. He was impulsive, rough around the edges, and hard to sympathize with. But as I kept reading, it really sank in that he was just a child longing for love and understanding. Both nature and nurture shaped him, and the lack of both made him who he was.

Almond slowly seeps into you. It makes you think about what it means to feel, or to struggle to feel, and how everyone carries their own kind of pain. By the end, I didn’t just understand the characters. I understood myself a little more.

This book makes you feel human.